Who says Republicans have no sense of humor? They're running Scrappleface, Scott Ott, for County Exec against Don Cunningham. Ott's most recent attempt for elective office was his satirical run for President.
Mr Stolz, why would Mr. Ott be an amazing County Executive?
What in his life experience has made him qualified to run the largest government in the Lehigh Valley with a $400 million budget? This is merely a lame attempt by the Republican party chair to get an opponent in the race regardless of credibility because no sane candidate would want to run against D.C. Platt desperately persuaded Ott to run (he was previously planning on running for school board) so that he (Platt) can save face by having an opponent against Don. Ott should realize how he is being used as only a sacrificial lamb. It's a shame.
I like the idea. It's not like Don Cunningham has turned Lehigh County into some paradise on earth or something.
Don C. said he was going to give us back all the money he accused Jane Ervin of taking from us.
I must have missed the big tax refund.
Who knows, maybe when this Ott fellow says that he can build something for $17 million (Courthouse) it won't actually cost $67 million. Oh, and be obsolete and too small immediately upon completion.
Don did not promise you a refund. He pointed out that Jane Ervin gave the county residents a 70% tax increase and the next year reduced it to 40% because she miscalculated. It was her miscalculation that he emphasized.
As for the courthouse - he saved the taxpayers 23 million dollars and to say it will be obsolete as it opens is nonsense and false. What IS true is that the judges do not get the royal palace they desired.... and there is nothing obsolete about that.
104-3.1 God, the King of Kings, has established civil government to be under His authority, over people for the public good, and to carry out His sovereign will.1 He has revealed in His Word how this government should function in order to provide for a peaceful, orderly society in which the Gospel might spread;
104-3.5 All Christians have dual citizenship; they are citizens of an earthly nation, and of the kingdom of God.15 Both of these citizenships have their privileges and responsibilities, and it is possible to cooperate with civil government without compromising biblical principles.16 Yet, when the believer is forced to choose between the two, he must submit to Jesus as Lord. One day, every knee will bow to Him, and even today, He rules sovereignly over the affairs of civil government.
Cunningham court plan costs a fraction of Ervin's ** Allentown building can be fixed, expanded for $20 million, he says. [FIFTH Edition]
Morning Call - Allentown, Pa. Author: Dan Hartzell Of The Morning Call Date: Aug 25, 2005 Start Page: B.4 Section: COMMUNITY REPORT Text Word Count: 392
Document Text Lehigh County executive candidate Don Cunningham continued to plead his case Wednesday for cutting costs on the planned expansion of the county courthouse, contending the court's needs could be met for about $20 million -- a fraction of the tab for his opponent's plan.
"Absolutely not," retorted Republican County Executive Jane R. Ervin, whom Cunningham will face in November's election, when told of the Democrat's $20 million solution.
Ervin plans to repair the chronically leaking facade of the 40- year-old courthouse and create 57,000 square feet of additional space by constructing an attached addition to the front of the structure at 455 Hamilton St. in Allentown. She estimated the cost of the multiyear project at $73 million.
A former Bethlehem mayor, Cunningham questioned whether the county needs that much new space to run the courts efficiently. Even if it does, he said there's been no "comprehensive strategic analysis" to determine the most cost-effective way to deal with the needed repairs, and any necessary expansion -- at least not in public.
He said fixing the leaks and refurbishing the building would cost $12 million to $17 million. If extra space truly is needed -- and judges have been clamoring for it -- the county could lease space or acquire and renovate a building near the courthouse for
$3 million to $5 million more, said Cunningham, also a former state General Services secretary.
The U.S. Post Office building directly across Hamilton Street from the courthouse would be one possibility, he said, and another would be the former CoreStates bank building at Seventh and Hamilton streets, two blocks to the west.
Saying that Cunningham is making "outrageous claims not based in reality," Ervin said the county has been planning for and evaluating various solutions for the courthouse work since 1997, before she became county executive.
The problems have been considered, and solutions devised by and with the consent of herself and her administrators, county judges, county commissioners, the district attorney and top architectural, engineering and construction-management firms, Ervin said.
County Planning Director Robert E. Korp said various alternatives have been considered, including building a courthouse elsewhere or on the current site, and renovating the building and leasing or buying space nearby, as Cunningham suggested. Officials across the board have agreed that the pending plan is the most suitable and cost-effective, he said.
hartzell@mcall.com
610-778-7942
campaign promise. That's a margin of error of over 300 percent.
Wake up and smell the coffee and remember he mailed his promises to people. You can't rewrite history.
And, you can't have it both ways. Either Jane Ervin was a colossal screw-up and collected more of our money than she needed to -- in which case, Donald should have given it back to us instead of frittering it away on the New Zoo Revue and other spending. Or else, Donald lied in the campaign, and Ervin made a fiscally responsible decision by increasing taxes at the rate she did.
The point is contained in the article. This way there is no charge about someone making anything up.
In the interests of truth-telling, I hope the Morning Call won't mind.
Please address how a $17 million leasing opportunity became a $67 million construction project in a manner that does not make your candidate look like someone who was saying anything to get elected.
I am confused how someone like yourself who appreciates the honesty that John Stoffa brings to county government (as do I) would not see that Don Cunningham is a completely different stripe of politician than John.
Please also note that the $67 million dollar courthouse is slightly approximately 1/3rd smaller in size than the originally proposed $73 to $80 million courthouse. Thus, yes it will be obsolete quickly, most likely within four to five years.
In fact, I will send you a leather bound edition of whichever book you choose from the Top 10 of all time list that you posted if there is not a call to expand the courthouse by 2014. God willing, may we both still be here.
You are usually very fair and open-minded, I ask you to exhibit those traits in this situation.
Maybe Scott Ott is a sacrificial lamb, but who cares? If he is a common citizen who is willing to take on the money and polish of Don Cunningham, that makes him more of a lion than a lamb.
1) Please do not cut and paste an entire news account again. I hope you are right when you say The MC will not mind.
2) I never said that Cunningham was like Stoffa. They are completely different people with different styles and different focuses.
3) Cunningham did consider leasing, but decided against it, especially since what happens is not his sole decision. he was elected county exec, not King. I don't see how that makes him dishonest to the voter.
4) I went thru a similar experience in NC where the judges got EVERYTHING they wanted. It was a disdaster that resulted in tax increases totalling 63.5% over two years as well as layoffs. Believe it or not, there are already rumblings that it was not enough. In LC, Cunningham took a firm stand against the excesses demanded by the judges, including cathedral ceilings and other very expensive items. He made the right call. I'm sure they will be claiming they need more room in 5 years. But if LC had given the judges everything they wanted, they'd be making the same claim.
Cunningham is the ONLY county exec I've ever seen, anywhere, who stood up to the judges. Not even Stoffa can make that claim. He gets high marks for resisting those judicial excesses. Because LC residents aren't saddled with the gargantuan debt service that would have resulted from a castle, they've been spared increases. You could argue it should be refunded to taxpayers, but I share Angle's view that two months in county expenses shout be in reserve. LC has only about half that amount, from what I can tell. it would be irresponsible, therefore, to rebate taxes.
1.) Okay. I will simply list the date an article appeared when I show the discrepancy between Don Cunningham's campaign promises and reality.
2.) I never implied that you compared Cunningham to Stoffa. I am saying that you comment about John Stoffa in a certain way that led me to believe you value the way he conducts himself in office.
3.) Cunningham did more than just consider leasing -- he attacked Jane Ervin for building a white elephant courthouse and told the voting public that he could bring the project in for 300 percent less than what it is not costing. Even more importantly, in simple matters of space it is inferior to the project that he attacked.
4.) You talk about debt service, but Jane Ervin's administration built the expected debt service on her courthouse into her final budget. Should we hold our breath about him returning the difference between his $67 million courthouse and the original project estimate $73 million courthouse to us?
If you think that proper budgeting requires a two month reserve fund, does Don Cunningham receive no blame for budgets resulting in only half that amount?
Under Lehigh County's home rule charter it takes more than a simple majority vote for the Commissioners to veto a budget.
Will be funny to watch Boonie twist himself into a pretzel trying to make Paylowski look back while excusing Cunningham for pay to play. It would be positively hilarious to watch you try it Boonie old boy.
It's something I've discussed before. I do not hold candidates running for statewide office to the same standards I apply to locals. If someone is running for AG, appellate judge or Governor, they need MILLIONS. Thus, even a contribution of several thousand dollars is relatively insignifigant.
It's a matter of necessity until elections laws change. But on a local level, wherte there is no need for gobs of money, those thousand dollar contributions from vendors andf workers look an awful lot like quid pro quo.
No need for me to twist here. I've made this observation many times.
Yo those who oppose ALL froms of P2P, even in statewide races, the contributions to Onorato are far more troubling than those to Cunningham.
Once again, Rendell is a Governor. I think it is harder to make P2P charges stick against folks seeking statewide office bc of the amounts of money involved. Because so much money is needed, it actually makes p2p less likely Rendell is by no means the first. Ridge was also heavily involved.
But I would support any effort to eliminate the practice.
I guess all the contractor and vendor money raised in Lehigh County is OK because O'Hare says there are different rules because DC may run for Governor. I can see that defense to the Judge, I am running statewide your Honer, O'Hare said I am free to do as I please. Nice one, Oh slippery one.
Let's see. To take a close look at DC's campaign finances would take about twice as long as the time I have spent on King Edwin. And it is true that because of the millions that must be raised, even a $10k contribution is relatively meaningless.
I only have so much time and am only one person. I prioritize what I think is important. And I am the one who decides what is important to me, not some anonymous asshole.
Bernie, The Republican candidate calls himself "Scrapple breath". Is his campaign manager named "Sweet Bread?" (do you know what "sweet bread" is ?) With scrapple and sweet bread in the election, and if "souse" gets in, Sterling may change his mind and stay on ! No big event in Coplay this month Bernie .... hang in there, we'll come up with something to try to pry you out of the city.
Why to political choices always suck? Do I want an entrenched bloated bureaucrat or (proud-to-be) white christian zealot?
Uhhh.
Seriously, Scott Ott would put your pregnant daughter in a prison hospital for just wishing she'd miscarry.
I allso noticed Ott's campaign website makes no mention of his most notable accomplishment, Scrappleface.com. Is he affraid of what people might think after they read his idea of humor, and those of his regular commentators?
47 comments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F137wvAExpw&feature=channel_page
This video is a bit more revealing.
Is there any problem with him being Pro Life?
Scott would be an amazing County Executive
Seems like the county could use a little bit more satire.
All joking aside he's a very thoughtful and even handed guy. Principled and idealistic.
Your mancrush on Don will force you to mock Mr. Ott.
Think about it. He really would be a breath of fresh air in politics. He's clearly very sharp.
Daaahn is Ed Rendell with a worse accent.
I'd love to see Ott have some fun with him and begin telling the rest of the state what feckless Rendell lapdog Daaaaaahn is.
That's when Bernie will lose his sense of humor for Ott.
Cunningham = Rendell.
Ott = A tremendously funny and effective way of telling that story to the rest of PA.
Is Allentown's Ott Street named after Scott's family?
Bernie O'Hare Ott should sue you for slander.
Cuckoo.
So is this "Stolz" officially coming out of the closet as an O'Hare Toady?
Ribbit! Ribbit!
Mr Stolz, why would Mr. Ott be an amazing County Executive?
What in his life experience has made him qualified to run the largest government in the Lehigh Valley with a $400 million budget?
This is merely a lame attempt by the Republican party chair to get an opponent in the race regardless of credibility because no sane candidate would want to run against D.C. Platt desperately persuaded Ott to run (he was previously planning on running for school board) so that he (Platt) can save face by having an opponent against Don. Ott should realize how he is being used as only a sacrificial lamb. It's a shame.
12:49,
Your guy's "experience" is exactly what needs to be changed. Your boy is Rendell's reliable lapdog.
Cunningham = Rendell
No more taxes, tolls, fees, crazy gambling schemes, back room deals and hiring freezes on everybody but your friends.
Time for change.
I like the idea. It's not like Don Cunningham has turned Lehigh County into some paradise on earth or something.
Don C. said he was going to give us back all the money he accused Jane Ervin of taking from us.
I must have missed the big tax refund.
Who knows, maybe when this Ott fellow says that he can build something for $17 million (Courthouse) it won't actually cost $67 million. Oh, and be obsolete and too small immediately upon completion.
You can't sue O'Hare. He has no money. You have to sue google, eblogger and any newspaper that links to O'Hare.
Cuckoo.
Don did not promise you a refund. He pointed out that Jane Ervin gave the county residents a 70% tax increase and the next year reduced it to 40% because she miscalculated. It was her miscalculation that he emphasized.
As for the courthouse - he saved the taxpayers 23 million dollars and to say it will be obsolete as it opens is nonsense and false. What IS true is that the judges do not get the royal palace they desired.... and there is nothing obsolete about that.
The savings you quote are BS and you know it. If Ott had the resources he could prove it.
Ribbit Ribbit
Really! The new courthouse will probably come a little under $2 million less than a much larger, future looking building.
Smoke and Mirrors, Baby!
Ott has a unique view of civil government. It doesn't seem the whole separation of Church and State has registered with him:
http://www.mybfc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=89
104-3.1 God, the King of Kings, has established civil government to be under His authority, over people for the public good, and to carry out His sovereign will.1 He has revealed in His Word how this government should function in order to provide for a peaceful, orderly society in which the Gospel might spread;
104-3.5 All Christians have dual citizenship; they are citizens of an earthly nation, and of the kingdom of God.15 Both of these citizenships have their privileges and responsibilities, and it is possible to cooperate with civil government without compromising biblical principles.16 Yet, when the believer is forced to choose between the two, he must submit to Jesus as Lord. One day, every knee will bow to Him, and even today, He rules sovereignly over the affairs of civil government.
HI, I'm Boonie O'Hair, and I'm a Don Cunnigham Adict.
Hi, Boonie.
Cuckoo.
The Truth is Out There on Don Cunningham.
Don't believe the hype.
Cunningham court plan costs a fraction of Ervin's ** Allentown building can be fixed, expanded for $20 million, he says.
[FIFTH Edition]
Morning Call - Allentown, Pa.
Author: Dan Hartzell Of The Morning Call
Date: Aug 25, 2005
Start Page: B.4
Section: COMMUNITY REPORT
Text Word Count: 392
Document Text
Lehigh County executive candidate Don Cunningham continued to plead his case Wednesday for cutting costs on the planned expansion of the county courthouse, contending the court's needs could be met for about $20 million -- a fraction of the tab for his opponent's plan.
"Absolutely not," retorted Republican County Executive Jane R. Ervin, whom Cunningham will face in November's election, when told of the Democrat's $20 million solution.
Ervin plans to repair the chronically leaking facade of the 40- year-old courthouse and create 57,000 square feet of additional space by constructing an attached addition to the front of the structure at 455 Hamilton St. in Allentown. She estimated the cost of the multiyear project at $73 million.
A former Bethlehem mayor, Cunningham questioned whether the county needs that much new space to run the courts efficiently. Even if it does, he said there's been no "comprehensive strategic analysis" to determine the most cost-effective way to deal with the needed repairs, and any necessary expansion -- at least not in public.
He said fixing the leaks and refurbishing the building would cost $12 million to $17 million. If extra space truly is needed -- and judges have been clamoring for it -- the county could lease space or acquire and renovate a building near the courthouse for
$3 million to $5 million more, said Cunningham, also a former state General Services secretary.
The U.S. Post Office building directly across Hamilton Street from the courthouse would be one possibility, he said, and another would be the former CoreStates bank building at Seventh and Hamilton streets, two blocks to the west.
Saying that Cunningham is making "outrageous claims not based in reality," Ervin said the county has been planning for and evaluating various solutions for the courthouse work since 1997, before she became county executive.
The problems have been considered, and solutions devised by and with the consent of herself and her administrators, county judges, county commissioners, the district attorney and top architectural, engineering and construction-management firms, Ervin said.
County Planning Director Robert E. Korp said various alternatives have been considered, including building a courthouse elsewhere or on the current site, and renovating the building and leasing or buying space nearby, as Cunningham suggested. Officials across the board have agreed that the pending plan is the most suitable and cost-effective, he said.
hartzell@mcall.com
610-778-7942
campaign promise. That's a margin of error of over 300 percent.
Wake up and smell the coffee and remember he mailed his promises to people. You can't rewrite history.
And, you can't have it both ways. Either Jane Ervin was a colossal screw-up and collected more of our money than she needed to -- in which case, Donald should have given it back to us instead of frittering it away on the New Zoo Revue and other spending. Or else, Donald lied in the campaign, and Ervin made a fiscally responsible decision by increasing taxes at the rate she did.
1) If you have to copy and pst an entire news article to make a point, you've already failed.
2) Posting an entire news account without permission is a violation of copyright law.
3) "Scrappleface" is the Republican sacrificial lamb, not a serious candidate.
Bernie --
The point is contained in the article. This way there is no charge about someone making anything up.
In the interests of truth-telling, I hope the Morning Call won't mind.
Please address how a $17 million leasing opportunity became a $67 million construction project in a manner that does not make your candidate look like someone who was saying anything to get elected.
I am confused how someone like yourself who appreciates the honesty that John Stoffa brings to county government (as do I) would not see that Don Cunningham is a completely different stripe of politician than John.
Please also note that the $67 million dollar courthouse is slightly approximately 1/3rd smaller in size than the originally proposed $73 to $80 million courthouse. Thus, yes it will be obsolete quickly, most likely within four to five years.
In fact, I will send you a leather bound edition of whichever book you choose from the Top 10 of all time list that you posted if there is not a call to expand the courthouse by 2014. God willing, may we both still be here.
You are usually very fair and open-minded, I ask you to exhibit those traits in this situation.
Maybe Scott Ott is a sacrificial lamb, but who cares? If he is a common citizen who is willing to take on the money and polish of Don Cunningham, that makes him more of a lion than a lamb.
With respect.
1) Please do not cut and paste an entire news account again. I hope you are right when you say The MC will not mind.
2) I never said that Cunningham was like Stoffa. They are completely different people with different styles and different focuses.
3) Cunningham did consider leasing, but decided against it, especially since what happens is not his sole decision. he was elected county exec, not King. I don't see how that makes him dishonest to the voter.
4) I went thru a similar experience in NC where the judges got EVERYTHING they wanted. It was a disdaster that resulted in tax increases totalling 63.5% over two years as well as layoffs. Believe it or not, there are already rumblings that it was not enough. In LC, Cunningham took a firm stand against the excesses demanded by the judges, including cathedral ceilings and other very expensive items. He made the right call. I'm sure they will be claiming they need more room in 5 years. But if LC had given the judges everything they wanted, they'd be making the same claim.
Cunningham is the ONLY county exec I've ever seen, anywhere, who stood up to the judges. Not even Stoffa can make that claim. He gets high marks for resisting those judicial excesses. Because LC residents aren't saddled with the gargantuan debt service that would have resulted from a castle, they've been spared increases. You could argue it should be refunded to taxpayers, but I share Angle's view that two months in county expenses shout be in reserve. LC has only about half that amount, from what I can tell. it would be irresponsible, therefore, to rebate taxes.
Ribbit, Ribbit, Ribbit.
My name is Bernie O'Hare
I am a disbarred lawyer
Ribbit. I have to tell the truth once in a while.
Ribbit. I am a liar Ribbit!
Julian Sto;z is a protege. ribbit!
Bernie,
You can't always have all of the fun. You have to share in this.
----
Cuckoo!
1.) Okay. I will simply list the date an article appeared when I show the discrepancy between Don Cunningham's campaign promises and reality.
2.) I never implied that you compared Cunningham to Stoffa. I am saying that you comment about John Stoffa in a certain way that led me to believe you value the way he conducts himself in office.
3.) Cunningham did more than just consider leasing -- he attacked Jane Ervin for building a white elephant courthouse and told the voting public that he could bring the project in for 300 percent less than what it is not costing. Even more importantly, in simple matters of space it is inferior to the project that he attacked.
4.) You talk about debt service, but Jane Ervin's administration built the expected debt service on her courthouse into her final budget. Should we hold our breath about him returning the difference between his $67 million courthouse and the original project estimate $73 million courthouse to us?
If you think that proper budgeting requires a two month reserve fund, does Don Cunningham receive no blame for budgets resulting in only half that amount?
Under Lehigh County's home rule charter it takes more than a simple majority vote for the Commissioners to veto a budget.
Don's priorities are to spend, not to save.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F137wvAExpw&feature=channel_page
Yes. It reveals that Scott has a great sense of humor.
It also reveals that he's probably going to be able to run an effective web-based campaign.
His slogan:
"Taxes, Fees, and Gambling Schemes"
Cunningham = Spendell.
Period.
"As for the courthouse - he saved the taxpayers 23 million dollars and to say it will be obsolete as it opens is nonsense and false. "
This statement is absolutely false.The record is out there, can't spin this blunder as a success.
Scott Armstrong
is there something wrong with mancrushes???????
Will be funny to watch Boonie twist himself into a pretzel trying to make Paylowski look back while excusing Cunningham for pay to play. It would be positively hilarious to watch you try it Boonie old boy.
It's something I've discussed before. I do not hold candidates running for statewide office to the same standards I apply to locals. If someone is running for AG, appellate judge or Governor, they need MILLIONS. Thus, even a contribution of several thousand dollars is relatively insignifigant.
It's a matter of necessity until elections laws change. But on a local level, wherte there is no need for gobs of money, those thousand dollar contributions from vendors andf workers look an awful lot like quid pro quo.
No need for me to twist here. I've made this observation many times.
Yo those who oppose ALL froms of P2P, even in statewide races, the contributions to Onorato are far more troubling than those to Cunningham.
Once again, Rendell is a Governor. I think it is harder to make P2P charges stick against folks seeking statewide office bc of the amounts of money involved. Because so much money is needed, it actually makes p2p less likely Rendell is by no means the first. Ridge was also heavily involved.
But I would support any effort to eliminate the practice.
I guess all the contractor and vendor money raised in Lehigh County is OK because O'Hare says there are different rules because DC may run for Governor.
I can see that defense to the Judge, I am running statewide your Honer, O'Hare said I am free to do as I please.
Nice one, Oh slippery one.
Let's see. To take a close look at DC's campaign finances would take about twice as long as the time I have spent on King Edwin. And it is true that because of the millions that must be raised, even a $10k contribution is relatively meaningless.
I only have so much time and am only one person. I prioritize what I think is important. And I am the one who decides what is important to me, not some anonymous asshole.
Bernie! It's Lent! Be nice!
That's as nice as I get.
Who is Bernie O'Hare Ott?
I'm glad Ott is running for county exec., he is a good candidate, well qualified. His talents would have been wasted at the school board level.
Bernie, The Republican candidate calls himself "Scrapple breath". Is his campaign manager named "Sweet Bread?" (do you know what "sweet bread" is ?) With scrapple and sweet bread in the election, and if "souse" gets in, Sterling may change his mind and stay on ! No big event in Coplay this month Bernie .... hang in there, we'll come up with something to try to pry you out of the city.
Bill, I'll say this. Coplay has the best damn tournament for 10 and under baseball players. It was a blast this summer.
I think Don is in trouble. If this R is calling himself scrapple anything, he'll get Kranzley's endorsement for sure.
All Ott has to do is get enough money to connect the dots on County vendors and donations.
That and the real Courthouse numbers.
Why to political choices always suck? Do I want an entrenched bloated bureaucrat or (proud-to-be) white christian zealot?
Uhhh.
Seriously, Scott Ott would put your pregnant daughter in a prison hospital for just wishing she'd miscarry.
I allso noticed Ott's campaign website makes no mention of his most notable accomplishment, Scrappleface.com. Is he affraid of what people might think after they read his idea of humor, and those of his regular commentators?
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